Fixture for fabricating a fiber optic connector ferrule

ABSTRACT

A fixture is disclosed for use in fabricating a connector ferrule for a fiber optic cable which includes a plurality of generally parallel optical fibers. The fixture includes a base, with a receptacle on the base for receiving and properly positioning a ferrule body. A cable locator is provided on the base at one side of the receptacle for positioning the cable inserted in the ferrule body, with exposed end portions of the optical fibers projecting from the ferrule body at an opposite side of the receptacle. A fiber aligner is provided on the base at the opposite side of the receptacle for aligning the exposed end portions of the optical fibers relative to each other and relative to the properly positioned ferrule body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to the art of fiber optic connectorsand, particularly, to a fixture for use in fabricating a connectorferrule, such as for terminating a multi-fiber cable, particularly afiber optic ribbon cable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In fiber optic transmission systems, signals are transmitted alongoptical fibers by optical frequency waves (light) generated by suchsource as LED's, lasers and the like. Optical fibers typically arefabricated of glass materials and, as optical fiber circuitry developed,it became necessary to provide connecting devices which could couple oneoptical fiber to another, only in an end-to-end relationship.

A traditional procedure for making a connection between ends of opticalfibers is to, first, remove a protective jacket from a given length offiber at the end of the fiber to be joined. After the jacket is removed,a 250 micron (OD) buffer is exposed which can then be stripped to exposea 125 micron (OD) fiber. The fiber is then threaded through a passage ina ferrule where it is affixed in place by adhesive and/or crimping. Thefiber is inserted so as to extend well beyond a front surface of theferrule. The exposed fiber material is then cleaved and polished. Anyremaining adhesive is removed. The ferrules then are assembled into aconnector assembly which is intended to position the optical fibers withtheir optical axes in alignment for connection to the fibers of a matingconnector or other appropriate connecting device.

A fiber optic ribbon cable has become increasingly popular to providemultiple channels in a single cable structure. An optical ribbon cableis similar to any other well known ribbon electrical cable to the extentthat a plurality of generally parallel optical fibers or channels aredisposed in a line or generally coplanar relationship. Terminating theoptical fibers of a fiber optic ribbon cable is generally similar to theprocedure described above. In general, the unitary protective jacketsurrounding the line of fibers is removed so that the buffered fibersare exposed which are then stripped and the unprotected fibers projectfrom the flat cable in a line. Typically, these individual fibers mustbe inserted into respective individual holes or passages in aprefabricated connector ferrule. The passages align the fibers at apredetermined spacing for coupling to the ends of the fibers in acomplementary connector ferrule or other connecting device.

This terminating process of the individual fibers of a multi-fibercable, creates a number of problems. First, because of the very thinsize and extremely fragile nature of the fibers, it can be tedious toinsert a fiber into a single aligning hole or passage. However,inserting a plurality of such fibers from a single cable into aplurality of passages can be extremely difficult. If a single fiber ofthe cable is broken, the stripped cable end and ferrule either must bediscarded and/or reworked. Since these processes typically are carriedout by hand, they can be rather inefficient and result in unnecessaryexpense.

In the prior art, placing individual fibers of a multi-fiber cable intoindividual holes or passages in a connector ferrule results in a highpercentage of rejects. The ferrules must be inspected hole by hole. Inaddition to fibers being broken, the holes, themselves, may be too largeor too small or not circular. Connector ferrules comprise bodies whichare crystalline in nature, typically of ceramic material. However, theycan be molded of plastic or like material. For multiple channelferrules, the fiber-receiving holes or passages must be formed preciselyto maintain proper form or alignment and spacing between the fibers toprevent tolerance problems causing transmission losses during mating.

The above alignment/tolerance problems are further complicated inconnector assemblies wherein a pair of mating connector ferrules,themselves, are placed in the mating condition by two alignment pins.These alignment pins typically have one end of each pin extending into apassage of the connector ferrule, and the opposite end of the pin beinginserted into a passage in the mating connector ferrule, with achamfered lead-in on the pin for alignment. The problems of maintainingprecise tolerances with the alignment pins and their passages must beadded to the tolerance problems in maintaining precise spacing andalignment of the individual holes for the optical fibers of the fiberoptic cable. It can be understood why there is such a high number ofrejects during the fabrication of prior art connector ferrules. Thepresent invention is directed to solving the problems in the fabricationof a multi-fiber ferrule.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improvedfixture for use in fabricating a connector ferrule for a fiber opticribbon cable which includes a plurality of generally parallel opticalfibers.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the fixture includes abase, with a receptacle on the base for receiving and properlypositioning a ferrule body. A cable locating means is provided on thebase at one side of the receptacle for positioning the cable insertedinto the ferrule body, with the exposed end portions of the opticalfibers projecting from the front face of the ferrule body at an oppositeside of the receptacle. A fiber aligning means is provided on the baseat the opposite side of the receptacle for aligning the exposed endportions of the optical fibers relative to each other and relative tothe properly positioned ferrule body.

As disclosed herein, the cable locating means is provided by a cablechannel leading away from the receptacle. The channel has a major widthand a minor depth for receiving a ribbon-type fiber optic cable whereinthe fibers are in a line. The fiber aligning means is provided by aplurality of generally parallel grooves in a surface adjacent theopposite side of the receptacle.

A cable clamp is disposed on the base for holding the cable in the cablechannel. In the preferred embodiment, the cable clamp is mounted on thebase for movement between an open position exposing the cable channel toallow positioning the cable therein and a clamping position holding thecable in the channel.

A fiber clamp is disposed on the base for holding the fibers in thegrooves of the aligning means. In the preferred embodiment, the fiberclamp is mounted on the base for movement between an open positionexposing the grooves to allow positioning of the fibers therein and aclamping position holding the fibers in the grooves.

The fiber aligning means is located on a carriage movably mounted on thebase for movement toward and away from the receptacle. The ferrule bodyincludes alignment holes which surround alignment posts on the carriagewhen the carriage is moved toward the receptacle. The fiber aligningmeans may comprise a component or assembly with precision fiberalignment surfaces.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, togetherwith its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best understood byreference to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify likeelements in the figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a connector ferrule according tothe prior art;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken generally along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the prior art connector ferrule about tobe terminated to a mating ferrule by using a pair of alignment pins;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a connector ferrule embodying theconcepts of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmented horizontal section taken generally along line5--5 of FIG. 4, but showing just the ferrule body and one of thebushings;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken generally along line 6--6 of FIG. 4,but showing just the ferrule housing;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the ferrule housing;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the ferrule housing;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a fixture for terminating the fibers of afiber optic ribbon cable in the connector ferrule of FIG. 4, with thefixture in open condition to receive the cable and ferrule body;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the fixture in closed condition with aferrule and cable positioned therein;

FIG. 11 is an end elevational view of the fiber alignment block of thefixture;

FIG. 12 is a fragmented end elevational view, on an enlarged scale, ofthe aligning grooves in the fiber alignment block;

FIG. 13 is a vertical section taken generally along line 13--13 of FIG.11;

FIG. 14 is a vertical section taken generally along line 14--14 of FIG.11; and

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmented end elevational view of the completelyfabricated connector ferrule, showing one of the alignment bushings andsome of the precisely aligned optical fibers surrounded by filleradhesive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, FIGS. 1-3 show a connectorferrule according to the concepts of the prior art, and FIGS. 4-15 showa connector ferrule fabricated according to the concepts of theinvention. As explained in the "Background", above, after a fiber opticcable is terminated in the ferrule, the ferrule then is assembled in anoverall fiber optic connector assembly.

Before proceeding with a description of the prior art and of theinvention, it should be explained that the connector ferrules areadapted for terminating a fiber optic ribbon cable, generally designated20, which includes a plurality of discrete, generally parallel opticalfibers 22 which are in a line or generally coplanar relationship.However, it should be understood that many concepts of the invention areequally applicable for any multi-fiber cable which includes a pluralityof discrete fibers that must be aligned and properly spaced.

Turning first to FIGS. 1-3, a connector ferrule, generally designated24, is shown according to the prior art. The ferrule includes a ferrulebody 26 having a front planar mating face 28. As seen in FIG. 2, aplurality of fiber passages 30 extend through body 26 and into frontmating face 28. As seen in FIG. 1, fiber passages 30 are in a line orrow corresponding to the coplanar relationship of in-line optical fibers22 of ribbon cable 20. A flexible boot 31 surrounds cable 20 at the rearof ferrule body 26 to provide strain relief for the cable. The boot isfixed, as by epoxy, in an opening 31a at the rear of the body.

Connector ferrule 24 of the prior art is adapted for mating with acomplementary ferrule, or similar connecting device, generallydesignated 32 in FIG. 3. The connecting device is similar to ferrule 24in that it has a front planar mating face 34 and a line of fiberpassages 36 for receiving the individual fibers of a second fiber opticribbon cable 20A. As is known in the art, ferrule 24 and connectingdevice 32 are mated by using a pair of alignment pins 38 which areinserted into alignment passages 40 (FIG. 1) of ferrule 24 and alignmentpassages 42 (FIG. 3) in connecting device 32. Alignment pins 38 areeffective to align fiber passages 30 (FIG. 1) of ferrule 24 (FIG. 1)with fiber passages 36 (FIG. 3) of connecting device 32 and,correspondingly, aligning the optical fibers of cable 20 with theoptical fibers of cable 20A.

In fabricating connector ferrule 24 according to the concepts of theprior art, it should be noted that ferrule body 26 has an opening 44 inthe roof thereof which communicates with the interior of the body.Referring next to FIG. 2, it can be seen that ribbon cable 20 has afront end portion of its protective jacket 46 removed to expose the lineof optical fibers 22. During fabrication, the cable is inserted intoferrule body 20 in the direction of arrow "A" (FIG. 2). During theinsertion process, each individual optical fiber 22 must be insertedinto its respective individual fiber passages 30. All the fibers areinserted into the passages simultaneously. Although not shown,typically, the fibers will extend beyond the front mating face 28 of theferrule body. After all of the exposed fibers are inserted into theirrespective fiber passages 30, a premixed epoxy 48 (FIG. 2) is pouredinto top opening 44 to fix the cable, the fibers and the boot within theferrule body. After the epoxy is allowed to cure, the fiber ends arecleaved adjacent to the front mating face of the ferrule body, and thefiber ends are polished as is known in the art.

Without repeating all of the problems explained in the "Background",above, it readily can be understood how difficult it is to insertexposed fibers 20 into their individual fiber passages 30. In addition,with this description of the prior art ferrule in FIGS. 1-3, thetolerance problems in maintaining proper spacing and alignment of fiberpassages 30, plus proper spacing and alignment tolerance problems withpin passages 40, now can be fully understandable.

FIGS. 4-8 show a connector ferrule 50 embodying the concepts of thepresent invention. Again, the ferrule is constructed for terminating afiber optic ribbon cable 20 which includes a plurality of generallyparallel optical fibers 22 in a line or coplanar relationship. However,it will be recognizable that many concepts of the invention are equallyapplicable for other configurations of multi-fiber cables.

More particularly, connector ferrule 50 includes a ferrule body 52having a fiber passage 54 which is elongated in cross-section to receivethe entire line of optical fibers 22. In other words, one elongatedpassage 54 is provided for receiving therein all of the fibers of thecable. This is in contrast to the prior art which requires a singlepassage for each respective fiber of the cable. Connector body 52 alsohas a front planar mating face 56, a top opening 58, and a pair ofpassages 60 spaced from opposite ends of elongated fiber passage 54.Passages 60 can be called "pin passages", although the passages do notdirectly receive alignment pins 38 (FIG. 3) as in the prior art, as willbe described in greater detail hereinafter.

According to the invention, epoxy is inserted or poured into opening 58to surround the line of optical fibers 22 in elongated passage 54. Thatis why the epoxy will be referred to hereinafter as a "filler adhesive".

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a fixture, generally designated 62, which is used tohold ferrule body 52 and to precisely align fibers 22 within elongatedfiber passage 54 of the body. The fixture is shown in an open or loadingcondition in FIG. 9 and in a closed or assembly condition in FIG. 10.

More particularly, fixture 62 includes a generally rectangular base ormounting block 64 which has an externally threaded rod or shaft 66running therethrough within an internally threaded bore (not visible inthe drawings). A manual rotating knob 68 is fixed to the outer distalend of shaft 66. As seen best in FIG. 9, a channel 70 is provided forreceiving ribbon cable 20, and a receptacle 72 is provided for receivingferrule body 52. Channel 70 has a major horizontal width and a minorvertical depth for receiving the flat ribbon-type cable. A cable clampin the form of a cover 74 is pivoted to one side of base 64 on a pivotrod 76. The cable clamp is pivotally movable from an open position shownin FIG. 9 to a closed position shown in FIG. 10. In its open position,the cable clamp projects upwardly at an angle to base 64 and exposeschannel 70. In its closed position, the cable clamp holds the ribboncable in channel 70. Most of the components of fixture 62 can befabricated of metal material, and a pair of magnets 78 (FIG. 9) can beused for holding cable clamp 74 in its closed, clamping position.

A ferrule clamp 79 holds a ferrule in receptacle 72. Like cable clamp74, ferrule clamp 79 is pivoted, as at 79a, to base 64 between an openposition exposing the receptacle and a closed position holding theferrule in the receptacle.

A movable carriage, generally designated 80, is reciprocally movable inthe direction of arrow "B" (FIG. 9) at an end of base 64 oppositecable-receiving channel 70 and cable clamp 74. Carriage 80 can bemovably mounted on base 64 by a variety of mechanisms. A simplemechanism is to use shaft 66 which runs through base 64 and to connect adistal end of the shaft to the carriage, whereby threadingly rotatingthe shaft causes the shaft to move and move the carriage therewith.

Movable carriage 80 of fixture 62 includes a fixed alignment block,generally designated 82, and a pivotally movable fiber clamp 84. Likecable clamp 74, fiber clamp 84 is pivoted to one side of base 64 on apivot rod 86. Fiber clamp 84 has a tongue 87 that projects in adirection toward receptacle 72. The fiber clamp is pivotable from anopen, upwardly angled position shown in FIG. 9 and a closed positionshown in FIG. 10. As will be seen hereinafter, fiber clamp 84 iseffective to hold the fibers of the ribbon cable in position on fiberalignment block 82. The fibers can be held simply by the weight of fiberclamp 84, or appropriate magnets (like magnets 78) can be used to holdthe fiber clamp down on the fibers. A pair of alignment posts 88 areshown in FIG. 9 projecting from fiber alignment block 82 towardreceptacle 72 which receives one of the ferrule bodies 52. The alignmentposts are insertable into passages 60 in the ferrule body, as will bedescribed hereinafter.

FIGS. 11-14 show fiber alignment block 82 removed from fixture 62 tofacilitate the illustration. More particularly, the fiber alignmentblock is a solid component having a chamfered trough 90 formed in thetop thereof. As seen best in FIGS. 11 and 12, the side walls of trough90 are tapered downwardly in a converging manner toward a bottom wallwhich includes a plurality of generally parallel grooves 92. The groovesare enlarged in FIG. 12 to show that they are semi-cylindrical incross-section. It should be understood that the grooves also can betriangular or otherwise polygonal in cross-section. In any event, thegrooves are spaced to precisely align fibers 22 within elongated fiberpassage 54 of the ferrule body, as will be described in greater detailhereinafter. Fiber alignment block 82 can be fabricated as a highprecision formed metal component or as a high precision formedcrystalline component. In either instance, grooves 92 can be fabricatedin a mutually spaced and aligned relationship with very high accuracyand precision.

Still referring to FIGS. 11-13, fiber alignment block 82 also has a pairof precisely located holes 94 which receive alignment posts 88 asdescribed above in relation to FIG. 9. Again, holes 94 can be formed inalignment block 82 with very high accuracy and precision.

With the above detailed description of the structure of connectorferrule 50 and fixture 62, including fiber alignment block 82, themethod of fabricating the connector ferrule now will be described.However, before proceeding with the method in detail, a quick referenceshould be made to FIG. 15 to visualize the size relationship betweenoptical fibers 22 and elongated fiber passage 54 in ferrule body 52. Aswith the prior art, ribbon cable 20 is prepared by removing theprotective jacket from an end portion of the cable to expose the line ofoptical fibers at the end portion. Prior to positioning the cable in thefixture, a pair of cylindrical bushings 100 (FIG. 15) are telescopedonto alignment posts 88. The cable then is placed into channel 70 offixture 62, with cable clamp 74 in the open position as shown in FIG. 9.One of the ferrule bodies 52 is positioned in receptacle 72 of thefixture. The cable then is moved forwardly in channel 70 into the rearend of the ferrule body until fibers 22 project through enlarged,elongated fiber passage 54 in the ferrule body. In the alternative, thecable and fibers can be inserted into the ferrule body, and the cableand body simply lowered as a subassembly onto the top of the fixture,positioning the cable in channel 70 and the ferrule body in receptacle72. In either event, cable clamp 74 then is pivoted from its openposition (FIG. 9) to its closed position (FIG. 10), with magnets 78holding the cable clamp down on the cable.

With the cable and ferrule body properly positioned in fixture 62 asdescribed above, knob 68 at the end of externally threaded shaft 66 thenis rotated to move carriage 80 in the direction of arrow "C" (FIG. 10).During this movement, the distal ends of alignment posts 88 (FIG. 9)first will enter passages 60 (FIG. 4) in the ferrule body. Bushings 100will move with the alignment posts into passages 60. Further movement ofthe carriage will cause fiber alignment block 82 to move under distalends of the exposed optical fibers which have been extended completelythrough the enlarged, elongated fiber passage 54 of the body beyondfront face 56 of the body. With the carriage and alignment block 82moved to the full "assembly" position shown in FIG. 10, all of thefibers will be juxtaposed over grooves 92 (FIG. 12) in the fiberalignment block. A small amount of manual manipulation may be needed toensure that one fiber is in each groove. Fiber clamp 84 then is pivotedfrom its open position (FIG. 9) to its closed position (FIG. 10). Duringclosing of the fiber clamp, projecting tongue 87 enters trough 90 offiber alignment block 82 and holds the fibers in precision grooves 92.

With the cable and ferrule body now being mounted in fixture 62, andwith the fibers of the cable being precisely aligned by the grooves inalignment block 82, filler adhesive is then placed into opening 58 inthe top of the ferrule body until the adhesive substantially fills thecavity. The elongated pin passage 54 will receive adhesive on the sidesof the bushings 100 to captivate them in place. FIG. 15 shows filleradhesive 98 surrounding all of the individual fibers in the enlargedpassage as well as around bushings 100 in passages 60. The filleradhesive then is allowed to cure. In the alternative, the entirefixture, including the positioned cable and ferrule body, along with theapplied filler adhesive, then can be placed in an oven, if necessary, toheat-cure the filler adhesive.

After the adhesive is cured, alignment posts 88 move out of theprecisely positioned bushings as carriage 80 is moved back away from thecured connector ferrule. To facilitate this process, posts 88 arelubricated prior to applying the filler adhesive. The fiber ends whichproject from mating face 56 of the ferrule body are then cleaved andpolished. If any filler adhesive protrudes slightly from fiber passage54 beyond mating face 56, the adhesive also is removed or polished-off.

Enlarged FIG. 15 shows the end result of the invention for preciselyaligning fibers 22 within elongated fiber passage 54 and the bushings100 in passages 60 which precisely align connector ferrule 50 with acomplementary ferrule or other connecting device such as ferrule 32described in relation to the prior art of FIG. 3. FIG. 15 shows acylindrical bushing 100 inserted within one of the passages 60 inferrule body 52 of the connector ferrule. Referring back to FIG. 5, itcan be seen that a shoulder 102 is formed within each passage 60. Thisshoulder defines a stop limit for inserting boot 31. It can be seen inFIG. 15 that passage 60 is slightly larger in diameter than the outsidediameter of bushing 100. Consequently, capillary action will causefiller adhesive 98 to fill the space between the outside of the bushingand the inside of the passage and precisely align the bushing relativeto the second bushing but also relative to fibers 22 fixed within theconnector ferrule. It can be seen in FIG. 15 that the bushings are slit,as at 100a. The bushings, thereby, expand when telescoped onto alignmentposts 88, to the exact diameter of the posts. The posts can befabricated with precision and accuracy, and this accuracy is transferredto the bushings. When filler adhesive 98 cures, the bushings are securedat the exact diameters of the alignment posts.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that the invention is a vastimprovement over the prior art. In essence, the fiber passages and pinpassages in the ferrule body of the invention are not used to align thefibers and alignment pins. A separate fixture of high precision is usedoutside the connector ferrule and, in essence, these precisionparameters are transferred to the ferrule. By transferring the precisionfrom the fixture to the ferrule as is contemplated by the presentinvention, the parameters of the resulting ferrules are very consistentand repeatable. This process can be fine tuned or adjusted simply bymodifying the fixture. Still further, with fiber passage 54 beingconsiderably larger than the fibers themselves, the same ferrule bodycan be used for different sizes of fibers which is not possible with theprior art. In fact, a single ferrule body, with its enlarged, elongatedfiber passage can be used to accommodate fiber optic cables of differentnumbers of fibers. Again, this is not possible with the prior art,because the number and sizes of the fiber passages must be varied inattempts to arrive at any consistency whatsoever.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in otherspecific forms without departing from the spirit or centralcharacteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments,therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details givenherein.

We claim:
 1. A fixture for use in fabricating a connector ferrule for afiber optic cable which includes a plurality of generally paralleloptical fibers, comprising:a base; a receptacle on the base forreceiving and properly positioning a ferrule body; a cable locatingmeans on the base at one side of the receptacle for positioning thecable inserted in the ferrule body, with exposed end portions of theoptical fibers projecting from the ferrule body at an opposite side ofthe receptacle; and a fiber aligning means on the base at said oppositeside of the receptacle for aligning the exposed end portions of theoptical fibers relative to each other and relative to the properlypositioned ferrule body.
 2. The fixture of claim 1 wherein said cablelocating means include a cable channel leading away from the receptacle.3. The fixture of claim 2 wherein said fiber optic cable is a ribboncable, and said cable channel has a major width and a minor depth. 4.The fixture of claim 2, including a cable clamp on the base for holdingthe cable in the cable channel.
 5. The fixture of claim 4 wherein saidcable clamp is pivotally mounted on the base for movement between anopen position exposing the cable channel to allow positioning the cabletherein and a clamping position holding the cable in the channel.
 6. Thefixture of claim 1 wherein said fiber aligning means include a pluralityof generally parallel grooves in a surface adjacent said opposite sideof the receptacle.
 7. The fixture of claim 6 wherein said fiber aligningmeans comprises a metal component and said grooves are precision formedin a surface thereof.
 8. The fixture of claim 6 wherein said fiberaligning means comprises a crystalline component and said grooves areprecision formed in a surface thereof.
 9. The fixture of claim 6,including a fiber clamp on the base for holding the fibers in saidgrooves.
 10. The fixture of claim 9 wherein said fiber clamp ispivotally mounted on the base for movement between an open positionexposing the grooves to allow positioning the fibers therein and aclamping position holding the fibers in the grooves.
 11. The fixture ofclaim 1 wherein said fiber aligning means is on a carriage movablymounted on the base for movement toward and away from the receptacle.12. The fixture of claim 11 wherein said ferrule body includes at leastone alignment hole, and said carriage includes an alignment post formovement into the hole when the carriage is moved toward the receptacle.13. A fixture for use in fabricating a connector ferrule for a fiberoptic ribbon cable which includes a plurality of generally paralleloptical fibers in a line, comprising:a base; a receptacle on the basefor receiving and properly positioning a ferrule body; a cable locatingmeans on the base at one side of the receptacle for positioning thecable inserted into the ferrule body, with exposed end portions of theoptical fibers projecting from the ferrule body in a line at an oppositeside of the receptacle, the cable locating means being in the form of acable channel leading away from the receptacle, with the cable channelhaving a major width and a minor depth for receiving and properlypositioning the ribbon cable; and a fiber aligning means on the base atsaid opposite side of the receptacle for aligning the exposed endportions of the optical fibers relative to each other and relative tothe properly positioned ferrule body, the fiber aligning means includinga row of generally parallel grooves in a surface adjacent said oppositeside of the receptacle for positioning the line of exposed fiber endportions therein.
 14. The fixture of claim 13, including a cable clampon the base for holding the cable in the cable channel.
 15. The fixtureof claim 14 wherein said cable clamp is pivotally mounted on the basefor movement between an open position exposing the cable channel toallow positioning the cable therein and a clamping position holding thecable in the channel.
 16. The fixture of claim 13, including a fiberclamp on the base for holding the fibers in said grooves.
 17. Thefixture of claim 16 wherein said fiber clamp is pivotally mounted on thebase for movement between an open position exposing the grooves to allowpositioning the fibers therein and a clamping position holding thefibers in the grooves.
 18. The fixture of claim 13 wherein said fiberaligning means is on a carriage movably mounted on the base for movementtoward and away from the receptacle.
 19. The fixture of claim 18 whereinsaid ferrule body includes at least one alignment hole, and saidcarriage includes an alignment post for movement into the hole when thecarriage is moved toward the receptacle.
 20. The fixture of claim 13wherein said fiber aligning means comprises a metal component and saidgrooves are precision formed in a surface thereof.
 21. The fixture ofclaim 13 wherein said fiber aligning means comprises a crystallinecomponent and said grooves are precision formed in a surface thereof.